By Florida Bill In this "MeToo" revolution, a U.S. Senator and two U.S. Representatives have resigned their offices as a consequence of their unwelcome sexual advances directed at female associates and members of their staffs.
Perhaps these resignations are just the tip of the problem in view of the revelation of the existence of the Congressional Office of Compliance (COC) which has doled out some $17 million since 1997 in resolving and papering over the indiscretions of congressmen, many of them believed to be sexual in nature.
A few days ago, it was disclosed that in 2014, the COC paid $220,000 to a woman who had sued the suave, liberal, silver-bearded Congressman, Alcee Lamar Hastings, for hitting on her sexually, demanding rendezvouses at a hotel and hugs; and for inquiring of her as to the type of underwear she had on, and how often she changed it. The Ethics committee got involved, but found that the indiscretions didn't rise to the level of being in contempt of Congress, and that $220,000 would make things right and wipe the book of any problems. Taxpayers are a generous lot, no question about that.
In the 435-member House of Representatives, the 81-year-old Hastings, a Democrat, is said to be Sui Generis, legalese for "the only one of a kind." He is not unique for pushing important legislation or for his sexual aggressiveness, but because he is a disgraced federal district judge who was thrown off the bench for bribery, and then was elected a congressman in South Florida and welcomed with a seat in that same august body which had impeached him for dishonesty. Despite those rather shameful credentials, Hasting has risen to occupy chairs of leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Minnesota Sen. Al Franken is resigning after eight years in office in the face of accusations that he was a sexual predator and in response to demands from 36 Democratic colleagues that he quit. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, a veteran of 52 years in Congress, also is resigning, accused by a staffer of harassing her. He gave his accuser $27,000 as reparation, and was pressured by colleagues into quitting. No one is asking Hastings to quit, but if any legislator should be shown the door, it is the disingenuous Hastings.
Hastings, represents the 20th congressional district in South Florida. He was accused and sued for sexual harassment by Ms. Winsome Packer, a staffer on a congressional commission which Hastings chaired. He called the accusations 'ludicrous" and insisted that at the time the money was paid out, he had no knowledge of the settlement. He adds his opinion that the money was "needlessly paid to Packer." Until a few days ago, no one had even been aware of the accusation of his sexual misconduct, and of the big check from a hush fund to make it all go away.
Hastings was appointed a federal district judge in 1979 by President Carter. In 1981, he was accused of accepting a $150,000 bribe, and in 1988 he was impeached by the House of Representatives by a vote of 413-3, convicted by the Senate and removed from the bench. The US. Supreme Court affirmed the congressional decision. With that, Hasting acquired the distinction of being the 6th federal district judge impeached and thrown off the bench in about 250 years.
With his judicial career in rags, Hastings turned to politics. He ran unsuccessfully for Florida Secretary of State in 1991, but the following year he ran for Congress and was elected, and has been reelected 12 times since then. At one point Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker, considered naming her fellow Democrat as the head of the Select Committee on Intelligence, but declined in the face of opposition.
A few years ago, Rep. Hastings, with his golden tongue, was in the forefront of an unsuccessful congressional move to increase their annual $174,000 salary. The proposal fostered an uproar and Hastings was castigated for his "arrogance" and "insensitivity." One man observed that with the country's shaky economy and a median American household income of $51,000 a year, the congressional cry of poverty over a $174,000 salary was grossly misplaced.
Hastings employs his girl friend Patricia Williams on his staff and she has earned several million dollars for her staff assistance since 1993. Ms. Williams was his counsel and companion during his trial and impeachment proceedings. In 2012, Judicial Watch, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization, upbraided Hastings for his "nepotism" on Capitol Hill, having paid Williams $622,000 between 2007 and 2010. Hastings did not quibble about the amount of her earnings, but argued that since she was a girl friend, and not a family member, it did not equate to "nepotism." Williams' present annual salary is reported as $168,000.
During the recent swearing in of Donald Trump as America's 45th President, Hastings declined to attend the ceremony and he excoriated the republican president for failing to embrace the values and tenets of the Constitution. Trump's behavior, asserted Hastings, prohibits him from occupying the highest office in the land, and with his Russian connections, he will never keep this country safe. There shall be "no harsher critic (of him) than me."
Perhaps beating the anti-Trump drum, a popular tune these days, will keep Hastings safe from the same fate that fellow Democrats John Conyers and Al Franken suffered. Congress certainly has its pets, and Rep. Hastings is one of them.
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